The American Witch
by stargirl1123
Summary: After Angelica Turner's magic school in America is destroyed by a bunch of drunk Muggle boys, Angelica is transferred to Hogwarts in England in her fifth year, the same year as Harry Potter and his friends are in.
1. Chapter 1  Hogwhats?

**The American Witch**

Prologue

"But _Mommy_, I don't want to Apparate to London! It's so uncomfortable, I feel like I'm being pushed through a straw or something!" I was whining, of course. Well _duh_, who likes to Apparate anyways?

"_Angelica Lucy Turner_," my mother snapped, her patience for my whining quickly disappearing. "You _knew_ that after those stupid Muggle boys burnt down The Salem Magic Institute, which they stupidly thought was just an old, run-down building, you would have to go to the next best magic school in the world, which is Hogwarts. And like I'd send you to _Durmstrang_ or _Beaxbatons_," she added as an afterthought. She looked around, making sure that there weren't any Muggles paying attention to us. She grabbed my hand tightly, and before she turned on the spot, she looked me straight in the eye and said, "Please act like you're fifteen when you're over there, Angie." She twisted on the spot, and we were immersed in darkness.

_Fifth Year_

Chapter 1 – Hog-whats?

It was the thirty-first of August, and my mother and I were standing together in a little town, which was obviously magical. Even though my eyes were closed, I could just tell; there was that lovely feeling in the air, like static electricity, but way better. Every wizard and witch I'd met in America felt the magic in the air, but not in the way I did. It was like I was particularly perceptible to it. I could sense magic from miles away. I sniffed the air; there was a distinct smell of fudge and something that smelled warm and buttery and sweet all at the same time. I opened my eyes, and realized we were standing in front of a bunch of adorable looking stores. The smell of fudge was coming from a little candy store called Honeydukes, and the strange but wonderful buttery smell was coming from what looked like a bar called The Three Broomsticks.

I looked over at my mom, who was taking in the surroundings too, although she'd already been here to discuss getting me into the new school at my age. It was silent for a couple more minutes. All I wanted to do was run around and explore everything.

Then, out of nowhere, my mother said, "It's beautiful, isn't it Angie?" We looked at each other and smiled.

"It's gorgeous Mom." I paused for a brief second, and then asked, "What is this place?" I looked around again, as if a little sign would just pop up and tell me where we happened to be.

"This is Hogsmeade. It's the wizard town right by Hogwarts." She pointed up near the mountains, and there was a huge castle right there, both spooky and beautiful.

I felt a little confused; Apparating always does that to me.

"Hog-_whats_?"

My mom laughed a little. "Your new school; Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" She kept laughing at the expression on my face, which was a mixture of confusion and horror. She stopped laughing, and was suddenly serious. "Hello, Professor McGonagall." I looked over my shoulder, and saw a very severe-looking woman walking towards us.

"Yes, hello Ms. Turner. I presume that this is Angelica." Professor McGonagall nodded curtly in my direction. Seriously….was there a stick up her ass or something?

I cut in before my mother could answer. "Yes, _Professor_ McGonagall, I'm Angelica. But you can call my Angie." I stuck out my hand for her to shake, and she grabbed it warily, and it was obvious what was going through her mind at that moment:

_Crazy Americans…_

"Well, we have to get up to the castle immediately. I'm afraid that only Angelica will be coming up to the castle, Ms. Turner," McGonagall added when she saw that my mother was beginning to walk with us. "We need to give Miss Turner a quick tour of Hogwarts, that's why we asked you to arrive in the morning, since the other students will arrive this evening for the start-of-term feast. I'll give you two a moment." She turned her back and walked a few steps away, still stiff as a rod.

I felt my eyes instantly fill with tears. I had no idea I would have to say goodbye so quickly! My mom had tears in her eyes too, and we rushed into each other's arms for our final hug. She kissed my cheek and tucked a lock of my curly black hair behind my ear. Then she turned away, and as soon as a blinked, she was gone.

I quickly wiped my eyes as best as I could and walked up to McGonagall. We looked at each other for a moment, and then I said:

"Well, let's go."


	2. Chapter 2 Albus Dumbledore

Chapter 2 – Albus Dumbledore

It had been a very long day, and I was super tired. Professor McGonagall had shown me around the castle, telling me where all my classrooms were, helping me memorize my schedule, laying down the school rules, and then she'd finally taken me to the headmaster's office.

"This is where I leave you, Angelica," she said after revealing the door behind the ugly gargoyle with the password Fizzing Whizzbees. "Now, just go up the spiral staircase, and then knock on the door when you get to the top." She started to walk away.

"Thanks," I said suddenly. "Thanks for showing me around."

The professor just nodded her head in that sharp way of hers, and began to walk away. I swear there was a hint of a smile there, though.

I stepped onto the spiral staircase, which I quickly discovered was moving up like an escalator of sorts. When I got to the top, there was a big wooden door with a brass knocker in the shape of a griffin. I looked around, and then grabbed the brass griffin and knocked on the door. I waited a few seconds, and I was about to knock again when an ancient, but lovely sounding voice said from within the office:

"_Enter_."

The door opened on its own and I walked inside the office. It was huge, and very beautiful. I could just feel the magic buzzing around the room like crazy. I felt immediately safe and secure. I looked around the room, getting happier and happier as I saw the moving portraits of people who were obviously the old headmasters of Hogwarts, all of the lovely silver magical instruments that were sitting on tables, and the gleaming gold and red bird that was perched on a golden stand. I gasped, suddenly realizing what it was.

"Is that-is that a _phoenix_?" I looked over at the desk sitting in the middle of the room for the first time. An extremely tall old man was sitting in the chair behind the desk, surveying me over his half-moon shaped glasses. He had long, snow white hair and a beard that must have reached down to his knees, at least. His light blue eyes seemed to twinkle with a sort of electricity, and I immediately trusted him.

He smiled at me and stood up, and began to walk towards me from behind his desk. "Yes, Angelica, that is a phoenix. You must have had a very good Care of Magical Creatures teacher at The Salem Magic Institute!" He smiled at me again, and I couldn't help but smile back.

"Yeah, we did! He brought in an actual phoenix for us to observe! I remember watching it grow from that little tiny baby bird into a huge, beautiful phoenix. It was amazing."

The headmaster smiled at me again, and then laughed. "How rude of me! I've forgotten to introduce myself; I'm getting quite old now!" He smiled at me once again, and then said happily, "My name is Albus Dumbledore, and I would like to welcome you to Hogwarts! You should know that I should be referred to as Professor Dumbledore or just Professor if you prefer." Dumbledore walked over to a huge bookshelf and stepped onto an ancient looking stepladder, reaching up to one of the top shelves to grab something. "Ah-ha!" he exclaimed. "Here it is!" He climbed down the stepladder, holding what looked like an extremely old wizard hat in his hands.

"What is _that_, Professor?" I looked at it with wonder. It looked so _old_, what could it be? I looked up into his electric blue eyes and waited for a reply. The headmaster walked to his desk and sat down. He politely gestured for me to sit in the chair opposite him.

Dumbledore pressed the tips of his long fingers together and looked down at his desk. He looked like he was deep in thought. I felt myself getting a little bit impatient.

"Professor?" I asked, trying to keep the impatience from creeping into my voice.

Dumbledore's eyes snapped up, focusing on my face. "I'm awfully sorry Angelica. With a mind as vast as my own, I occasionally find myself totally lost in thought. So many ideas, so little time…" He started to trail off, and for a second I thought he was about to start _thinking_ again, but then he stood up and drew himself up to his full height, and looked down at me. "Angelica, this is what we call the Sorting Hat." He held up one of his hands, seemingly sensing that I was going to ask him a question. "Now I know that at your past school in the United States you did not have what we call 'Houses.'"

"No, Professor," I said quickly, and without thinking. "We were given a test when we began school at age five. Our results determined what classes were best suited to our abilities."

"Ah, yes," Dumbledore said quietly. "Madame Serena has informed me of the methods in which she teaches her students." He looked at me over his half-moon-shaped glasses and smiled slightly. "Now," he continued, "back to the Sorting Hat. As for the history of this wonderful, wonderful hat, it is simple. If you do not mind, I am going to take you back to a Sorting that happened a few years ago. You see, here at Hogwarts we do not get our students until they are eleven years old. But anyways, to the previous Sorting-." Dumbledore stopped talking for a moment, probably because I had frozen in shock. "Angelica? Are you all right?" I just sat there, staring at him blankly. Had he said he was going to take me back to a previous Sorting? What?

I managed to calm myself down a little bit, and then I stammered, "You're going to take me back in t-_time_?" I looked at him with wide eyes when he laughed softly.

"I do apologize, Angelica. I thought that perhaps you knew that we can go back in time, if we have the tools. I," he said, sounding rather important, "happen to have the tools!" Dumbledore stood up and walked over to a lovely looking cabinet. He opened one of the cabinet doors and pulled out a large stone basin. It had runes carved into the sides. It was filled with a sort of silvery looking gas…or was it liquid…maybe it was solid…I couldn't be sure.

"What is _that_, Professor Dumbledore?" I asked him, amazed.

"This is the Pensieve. It holds thoughts and memories; namely, _my_ thoughts and memories. That is how we will, as I said before, 'go back in time.'" He smiled down at me, and then gestured towards the Pensieve. "You should go in first; even just touching it with a finger will pull you in!"

I walked up to the Pensieve and reached my hand into it. As soon as my skin made contact with the gas (no…liquid…no…solid…whatever…) I felt a jerking sensation around my belly button, like I had just touched a Portkey or something. I was falling, falling, falling, and then I landed in the middle of the Great Hall, which Professor McGonagall had shown me earlier. The four tables she had shown me were filled with boys and girls in plain black robes. The staff table was filled with teachers as well. There were a few ghosts flying around, but I wasn't scared; there had been plenty of ghosts at Salem's. I heard a slight noise next to me, and there stood Professor Dumbledore, eyes twinkling. He pointed silently towards a long line of young-looking students who were standing in the middle of the Great Hall, all looking a bit scared. I saw a boy with ink-black hair and green eyes that I could see from where I was standing looking around the hall, a mixture of amazement and fear on his face. And then I saw the scar…could it really be…

"This was a Sorting that happened four years ago," began Dumbledore, bringing me back from my thoughts, but then he stopped abruptly. The McGonagall of the past was carrying a three-legged stool and the same tattered looking hat that was in Dumbledore's office up to the front of the hall. She placed the hat on the stool and then stepped back, as if she was waiting for something. Then, all of a sudden, a rip near the brim of the hat opened, and the hat began to sing:

*This song belongs to J.K. Rowling*

"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find

A smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowler's black,

Your top hats sleek and tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see,

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve, and chivalry

Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true

And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,

If you've a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folk use any means

To achieve their ends.

So put me on! Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

I was amazed. Simply amazed. The hat was _singing_. All around me, I heard applause. Even the present-day Dumbledore was clapping. Without realizing what I was doing, I began to clap as well. Smiling, I looked up at Dumbledore, who smiled back at me and said, "I do believe that explains it well."

"Oh, yes, Professor. I understand now." He smiled at me once more, and then gently grabbed my arm, and the next moment, we were back in his office.


	3. Chapter 3 The Sorting

Chapter 3 – The Sorting

"So," I began as soon as Dumbledore and I were comfortable in our respective chairs. "I just have to put on the hat, and it'll tell me if I'm in…oh, what were they called again...?" I looked up at him hopefully, but he just smiled as if to say, _You'll remember in a moment_. Then the names hit me and I rattled off, "Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin, right?"

Dumbledore smiled and nodded. Then he stood up and grabbed the Sorting Hat. "I'm going to place it on your head," he said kindly. "It will probably say a few things, don't be alarmed, it always does that." He placed the hat on my head and stepped back.

Almost at once, an intelligent voice began to speak. It said, "_Ahhh_, an American at Hogwarts...that must be very difficult for you...the school nurse should have a potion for any sort of tiredness you feel from the new time zone...hmmm...very interesting...you have a great mind Angelica Turner, a great mind indeed...but you are stubborn, very stubborn...I see that you are a very brave young girl, you've gotten yourself into trouble before, at your previous school...yet another rule-breaker at Hogwarts...not that we need any more of those...you are destined for greatness Ms. Turner...greatness...so then it'd better be...**GRYFFINDOR!**"

By the smile that was lighting up Dumbledore's face, I gathered that the hat had yelled the last bit for the whole room to see, even the portraits of the previous headmasters and headmistresses, who were all looking at me rather curiously. I looked up at Dumbledore and smiled. Then, a thought came into my head.

"Professor Dumbledore?" I asked innocently.

"Yes, Angelica?" Dumbledore was surveying me once more over his half-moon spectacles, and something in his eyes made me think he knew what I was going to ask.

"Um..." I began timidly. "Harry Potter would be in my year, wouldn't he?"

Dumbledore laughed and nodded. Then, as I was about to say something more, he held up his hand and said, kindly, but sternly, "Angelica, I must ask you to not bother him with questions. I'm sure that you heard about what happened last year." He paused here, so I nodded, remembering reading Magic Weekly with my mother, reading about that poor boy Cedric Diggory who had died the previous year, and how Harry Potter won the Triwizard Cup. I also knew that Harry had claimed that Voldemort had risen again, taking Diggory as his first victim.

Dumbledore continued, "Harry has been through quite a lot in the past year, and this year, I am afraid he will be receiving a rather lot of, how they say, _bad press_, as I have been over the summer. Therefore, I ask you again not to bother him with too many questions, just show him kindness and peace."

I nodded, and then I said defiantly, "Professor, I believe Harry, and so does my whole family, and a bunch of my old friends from Salem's. We all knew that Voldemort would come back one day. Even though he focused most of his evil in Europe when he was in power before, his wrath got into the Americas too. So, you should know that I'm on Harry's side, and that will never change."

I looked fiercely up at Dumbledore, and to my surprise, he positively beamed at me, then said merrily, "That is exactly the kind of attitude that Hogwarts needs! There are too many students here whose parents simply follow the British Ministry of Magic, who is blatantly refusing to acknowledge the possibility that Lord Voldemort has indeed risen again!" Dumbledore began to pace back and forth. "I truly believe that if you tell Harry Potter that you believe him, that will give him a bit of hope, or even just acknowledging that you believe he is _not_ crazy, as many have been led to believe. What you just told me, Angelica," Dumbledore said, looking at me intently, "has made me prouder than you can ever imagine. Now you better go and get ready for the feast, it's going to start shortly."


	4. Chapter 4 The Feast

Chapter 3 - The Feast

"Now," began Professor McGonagall in her usual stiff voice, "the Feast will begin shortly, and as you've been placed in Gryffindor, which happens to be the House that I am the Head of, you will sit at the respective table, which is the table on the far left." I stuck my head into the Great Hall; it was empty except for the teachers up at the staff table, who were enjoying a little bit of wine before the students arrived. I couldn't believe that I was going to have to sit at the table all by myself before anyone arrived. How _embarassing_!

McGonagall must have seen the look on my face, because her face relaxed a little bit, and she put her hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry, Miss Turner. I assure you that you will be welcomed warmly by all of the Gryffindors. Now, I really must go and wait for the upcoming students." She turned around and walked swiftly to the doors. I watched her walk off, and then I walked into the Great Hall.

It looked the same as it had that afternoon, except the magic floating candles were lit and the ceiling that showed what the sky outside looked like was now dark with a smattering of stars. I walked shyly over to the table on the farthest left of the Hall and sat down on the wooden benches. _Sure beats the cafeteria at Salem's_, I thought, and I laughed quietly out loud, remembering the white-tiled room with metal tables and plastic seats. _Hopefully the food will be better here!_

Suddenly, I heard an avalanche of footsteps coming towards the Great Hall. Great. The other students were here. I sat there, pretending to examine the beautiful golden plates as hundreds upon hundreds of students rushed into the Hall. I braved looking over my shoulder, and saw three people walking towards me, while others seemed to be avoiding me like there was something wrong with me or something. There was a very tall boy with flaming red hair and a face full of freckles, just like me, a girl with curly brown hair and kind, intelligent looking brown eyes, and another boy with ink-black hair and green eyes. No...it couldn't be! Harry Potter was walking towards me!

The three of them came up to me, and the girl stuck out her hand and said smartly, "Hello, I'm Hermione Granger." I shook her hand, and looked up into her face.

"I'm Angelica Turner." All three of them looked surprised at my obviously American accent. The red-haired boy looked positively shocked.

"Are you American, Angelica?" he asked, rather loudly, so other students at the table looked over at me curiously. I blushed, and Hermione nudged him in the ribs and whispered, "_Ron_." The boy called Ron just looked at Hermione and asked incredulously, "_What?_"

Hermione rolled her eyes and said tiredly, "You're not being very sensitive, Ronald. You should at least introduce yourself." I looked over at Harry, who was watching his two friends with obvious amusement, but I noticed something else in his eyes. I could also sense that there was some serious magic surrounding him. He was obviously a very powerful wizard.

As if he could feel my eyes on him, he turned his head and locked eyes with me. He stuck out his hand and said, "Hi, I'm Harry. Harry Potter." His face suddenly got very strained, as if he was expecting me to jump up and down or ask him to touch his scar or something. Please. I'm way cooler than that. Sort of.

"I'm Angelica, but I know who you are. We know all about you in America." Harry looked as if he was going to roll his eyes or even say something mean, so I added quickly, "I believe you."

Ron and Hermione stopped bickering and looked at me. Harry did a bit of a double take, then said, obviously shocked, "You _believe_ me?" I nodded, and he went on, "About _Voldemort_, right?" I nodded again, and he smiled brightly. "That's really great, Angelica, thank you. Mind if we sit by you?"

"Not at all!" Harry sat on my left, and Ron sat on my right. Hermione walked around the end of the table and sat across from me, then gave Ron a look, which made him sigh and roll his eyes at her.

"In case you didn't hear Hermione yelling at me before, I'm Ron Weasley." He stuck out his hand, a bit awkwardly, seeing as we _were_ sitting down next to each other, and I shook it, smiling at him. He was _cute_. Ron smiled back at me, and I could see something in his eyes that made me think he was thinking the same thing about me.

"Oooh, look!" exclaimed Hermione, "The Sorting's starting!" She pointed at the doors, and she was right; a load of little eleven-year-olds were walking in, all of them with the same scared expression on their faces. I only half-listened to the Sorting Hat's song, seeing as I was a little _busy_ checking out Ron while he was listening. I tuned myself back into the song at the very end, and heard the hat sing something about unity. As soon as it stopped singing, the whole Hall burst into applause, myself included, even though I had no idea what it had just sung. Ron looked over at me, smiling, and said, "Some song this year, eh?" I just blushed and nodded.

Smooth, Angelica..._smooth_.

After the Sorting was finished, Dumbledore stood up, beaming at all of us, and told us to "Tuck in!" I nearly yelled with shock and amazement when all of the golden platters lining the tables filled with food. Hogwarts was _awesome_.

As I helped myself to some delicious looking roasted potatoes and broccoli, Hermione stopped chewing for a moment to say, "So, Angelica. I'm just curious, but how did an American get into Hogwarts, especially so far along in your magical education?" She took a sip of her pumpkin juice, which happened to be a particular favorite beverage of mine, so before I answered, I poured myself a goblet-full.

"Well," I began, but then I stopped, noticing that a bunch of people surrounding us were listening in. I shrugged it off, and continued, "I used to go to The Salem Magic Institute in Massachusetts, but then some drunk Muggles burned it down." Hermione gasped, and she looked horrified.

"How did that happen? I thought all magical buildings were supposed to be protected by very strong magic!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Well, Salem's wasn't, apparently." I laughed. "Unless they didn't tell us everything, and it would _so_ be like my old headmistress, Madame Serena, to leave precious details out. Miserable old bitch." Ron burst out laughing, as did Harry and Hermione, although they laughed in a more subdued manner. We all sat in a good-natured silence for a moment, and then Hermione looked up at the staff table, as did many of the other students. I was once again checking out Ron's profile. He really had great bone structure.

Dumbledore was saying something about Quidditch when a strange noise snapped my attention back to the staff table, and away from Ron's lovely bone structure.

"_Hem_, _hem_."

_Oh shit_, I thought, suddenly freaked out, _not her._

(Just a note: if I put a * next to a sentence or a quote, that means it's coming directly from Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix! Enjoy!)


	5. Chapter 5 Dolores Jane Umbridge

Chapter 5 – Dolores Jane Umbridge

Dolores Jane Umbridge: the bane of my existence. Why was she at Hogwarts? Why was she sitting up at the _staff_ table? And why, oh _why_, was she wearing a hideous pink cardigan over her robes? I mean, _really_. It was a bit much.

I wasn't even bothering to pretend to pay attention to her boring speech, which I'd already heard before at Salem's. I just started at her ugly toad face, horrified. I didn't move until I felt someone poke me gently on the arm. It was Ron.

"Er, Angelica? You all right?" Ron looked genuinely concerned, so I tried to mask my horrification and smiled at him.

"I'm perfectly fine!" I said enthusiastically. "Why do you ask?" I looked up at the staff table, realizing too late that Umbridge's speech had already finished, and Dumbledore was sitting down to talk to McGonagall for a little bit. All around me, students were getting up or walking out of the Great Hall. How long had I been staring at Umbridge with that horrified expression on my face? How _embarrassing_.

"Well," began Ron, who was looking a little bit wary, "you were just sort of staring at that new Umbridge lady with a weird face, like this," he made a really exaggerated version of what my face must have looked like a few minutes earlier, "and you just kept staring up there at her, even when she was done." Ron shrugged.

Hermione was looking at both of us with a weird expression on her face, and then suddenly she jumped up and said, looking totally flabbergasted, "Ron, we're supposed to show the first years where to go!"* She ran over to Ron and pulled him up. I looked over at Harry, just as Ron was saying "Hey – hey you lot! Midgets!"*

I gave Harry a confused look, and then asked quietly, as we both stood up to leave, "Why are they supposed to show the first years where to go?" I saw a flash of something in Harry's eyes, something like anger and…was it jealousy?

"They're prefects," Harry said shortly. "They've got to show the first years where the common room is, and tell him the password." We started to walk up the marble staircase, but then he stopped me with his arm and said, "Watch out. There's a trick step here; you've got to remember to jump it, or your leg will get stuck. This boy Neville Longbottom in our year always misses it. He's great though, you'll like him." So we jumped over the step together and kept going up the stairs, not really talking much.

"Do you read the _Daily Prophet_?" Harry asked suddenly. I gave him a questioning look, but he looked dead serious.

I shook my head. "No," I said truthfully. "I've never read the _Daily Prophet_ in my life. We don't have that in America. We have Witch Weekly and stuff, but I get all my news of wizardry from around the world on MNN, or Magic News Network. Why?"

Harry looked sad suddenly, but then he just sighed and said, "I'll tell you another time."

By then we were standing in front of the Fat Lady's portrait, but neither of us knew the password. Professor McGonagall had told me it when she was giving me the tour of Hogwarts, but I hadn't really been paying attention; I was having too much fun looking at the Fat Lady. The Fat Lady looked down at us from her frame and said in her grand British accent, "Password?"

"Uhhhh…" both Harry and I said, looking at her blankly. Suddenly, I heard loud footsteps, like someone was running towards us. Harry and I both turned around to see an awkward looking boy who looked our age standing there panting, holding what looked like a _Mimbulus mimbletonia_.

"Harry, I know it!" the boy said excitedly. "Guess what it is? I'm actually going to be able to remember it for once! _Mimbulus mimbletonia!_"* The boy noticed me, and jumped a little when he saw that I was standing right there. He blushed and stammered, "H-h-hi. I'm N-neville Longbo-ottom." He stuck out his free hand.

I smiled and shook his hand. "I'm Angelica Turner. If I'm right, we're both in the same year here at Hogwarts." I paused, and Neville nodded shyly. "Cool. Well, thanks for the password, Neville! And I really like your _Mimbulus mimbletonia_, it's really cool. Is it new?" Neville nodded again, and gestured for Harry and me to walk through the portrait hole ahead of him.

"_Wow_…" I breathed, looking around the large, cozy common room. "It's even nicer looking at _night_!" I smiled over at Harry, who was looking into the fire sadly. I noticed that the few people that were still in the common room were staring at him like they were expecting him to start having a seizure, or something. He looked like he was trying his best to ignore them, but I knew from experience that he could feel their stares.

Harry suddenly looked up. "Well, I'd better get up to my dormitory. See you tomorrow, Angelica." He started to walk towards the staircase leading to the boy's dormitories.

"Harry!" I called out suddenly, surprising myself. He turned around and looked at me quizzically. "You can call me Angie." I smiled at him encouragingly, and he smiled back at me, a little tentatively. He turned away without saying anything, and went up the stairs.

Neville started to follow him, but then he turned around and smiled at me, saying, "Good night, Angelica. Nice meeting you!" I waved goodbye to him, and he went up the stairs after Harry.

I stood there for a moment, feeling awkward. Over by what looked like a bulletin board, two identical red-haired boys were pinning something up. I walked over to them, and started to look at the board. They both looked at me curiously, and one of them reached out his hand, and said, "I'm Fred. Fred Weasely. And this is George, my brother." His twin nodded his head at me, smiling.

"Would you two happen to be Ron Weasely's older brothers?" I asked, putting two and two together.

"Ah," said George, pulling a face. "Ickle Ronnie the prefect. Yeah, we're his brothers."

"How d'you know Ron?" asked Fred.

"Oh, I met him down at the feast with Harry and Hermione." I said. "Do you not approve of Ron being a prefect, boys?" I smiled mischievously at the pair of them, and they laughed in unison.

"Oh, Angelica," said Fred.

"We're troublemakers," said George. And with that, the two of them said goodnight and headed off to their dormitories. Once again, I was left alone in the common room, minus a large, fluffy, ginger cat that was curled up in front of the fire. "Hello," I said sweetly to the cat. "What're you doing here?" The cat looked up at me, and I noticed it had a very squashed in face, but it was still quite cute.

"Crookshanks…Crookshanks, where _are_ you?" called out a girl's voice. Hermione walked into the common room from the girl's dormitory. "Oh!" she began, startled. "Hello, Angelica. I see you've met my cat, Crookshanks."

"Yeah, he's adorable." We stood in awkward silence for a moment, and then I stood up, and said, "I guess we should head up to bed, huh? It's getting late." Hermione smiled at me, and with Crookshanks at our heels, we went up to bed.

"You know," began Hermione as we were putting our pajamas on, "it's really wonderful that you believe Harry. Not many people here do, it's really unfortunate." She paused and looked over at me, with my hair in a messy bun, baggy sweatpants, and a wife beater. I bent over my zebra-print suitcase, and took a quick moment to look around the dormitory, quickly noticing that every girl was wearing legitimate _pajamas_, not just sweats and old shirts. _Oh_, I thought. _Well, that's different_. I looked back at Hermione, but she was looking down at her trunk now.

I paused before saying, "I don't understand why nobody here believes him. How can they just let some stupid newspaper or whatever taint their opinions on Harry Potter? If he says that Voldemort is back, then, damn it, Voldemort is back." Hermione beamed, but two girls in the beds next to ours made a scoffing noise.

I looked over at them sharply. "And who would _you_ two be?" Hermione's smile had vanished. The curly-haired blonde, slightly crazy looking one answered me first.

"I'm Lavender Brown." She gestured to her friend. "This is Parvati Patil. We just couldn't help but overhear what you were talking about."

"Oh, was I offending you?" I asked mock-concernedly.

Lavender smiled at me in the bitchiest way possible; the effect wasn't impressive at all, she just looked a little constipated. "Oh, _no_. We just couldn't understand how you could sit there and talk about things you know nothing of. It's really quite silly, actually."

"Your face is quite silly, actually," I said in a sing-song British accent.

Lavender immediately lost her cool. "How can you believe Harry Potter's lies? There's no way that You-Know-Who is back, it's just impossible! The _Prophet_ says so!"

"Oh my God, you're practically spitting," I said sarcastically. Next to me, Hermione was shaking, presumably with rage. Her cheeks were red and her hair seemed to almost spark with electricity.

"Lavender, you don't know _anything_ about _anything_!" burst out Hermione, making me jump. "How can you just sit there and talk about things you know nothing of, when you don't even care how much they may be hurting people? You are a disgraceful witch, and when you, and every other person here who didn't believe Harry when he came out with the news about You-Know-Who, finally realizes that he _is_ back, you will have _no one_ to come crying to for help, because you have all shunned Harry Potter in his time of need, and it is disgusting." She turned around and sat on her bed, her arms and legs crossed tightly, a huge scowl on her face.

I looked at Lavender and Parvati, who were both wearing identical looks of shock at Hermione's outburst. "Well, it was _lovely_ talking to you two. You sure are _charming_!" I walked around the other side of my bed, and whispered to Hermione, "That was fucking awesome." She turned around, once again shocked by my swearing, and I smiled.


End file.
